Did you know that there is a cemetery on UTA's campus?
Most students do not. However, tucked away in the middle of Doug Russell park, just a few yards away from the residence hall Trinity House, is a small cemetery with a large story.
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The story begins in 1894 when a man named Reverend James Tony Upchurch founded the Berachah Industrial Home for the Redemption and Protection of Erring Girls. The home served to help homeless girls, girls with drug addictions, and even girls whose families did not want them. While at the home, the young girls only had three rules to follow: Women were to do their chores in a timely manner, attend church every Sunday, and if a woman had a child in the home, she was to keep it for a full year before being allowed to give the child up for adoption.
The home was spread over 40 acres, which now comprises Doug Russell Park and UTA. The home became a self-sustaining village, complete with a 1000-seat auditorium and a handkerchief factory. It was successful until 1935 when Reverend James Tony Upchurch's health began failing. His daughter then turned the home into an orphanage that operated until 1950, closing upon Reverend James Tony Upchurch's death. By the mid-1960s, all of the buildings were torn down and the land they stood on was sold. All that remained was the cemetery.
Today, the burial grounds still remain. The cemetery is known as "The Cemetery Of The Lost Infants," by Arlington locals, and acts as a gravesite for over 80 people. However, most gravestones only simply say a first name, such as "Josephine." The most unsettling parts of the cemetery are the gravestones that say "Infant," followed by a number.
As for paranormal experiences, the cemetery is apparently active. Visitors have reported the sensation of being watched, the sensation of small hands stroking or petting their hair, and shadowy figures. A few visitors have reported small toys appearing and disappearing around the cemetery.
You can find the gravesite located inside Doug Russell park, surrounded by a chain link fence with an open gate, at the following address:
Lost Cemetery of Infants
Doug Russell Park
801 West Mitchell St.
Arlington, TX 76013
